The outdoorsy element core to Woolrich’s DNA is having a moment, and all things Americana — utilitywear, military inflections and workwear, too — making Todd Snyder all the more fitting for the brand’s newly minted Black Label collection.
As a designer who’s played with those references throughout his career, including at J. Crew and for his namesake brand, he was well equipped to steer the OG American outerwear brand, founded in Pennsylvania 194 years ago, towards winter-resort sophistication.
“I really wanted to make sure I’m injecting newness and something modern into it,” Snyder said.
The mountain and hiking-inspired lineup had a luxe feel, with high-end fabrics deployed for Woolrich classics, such as a plaid overshirt and matching shorts in cashmere, or the cashmere cable knits, thick and cocooning.
The outerwear component — a key driver for the brand — was never fully reinvented but updated to incorporate material innovation such as in a drop-dyed nylon parka with sherpa lining and a laminated coating, Olmetex, that enhanced the color-fading, velvety surface; a fuzzy shearling coat that screamed Arctic chic; a shearling rendition of the military trench, and the signature buffalo check magnified on lightweight floor-length puffers.
If an après-ski vibe came through in the knit sets worn over long johns, and the polar fleece short and zippered sweater embroidered with Pennsylvania’s state flower, the mountain laurel, the collection was filled with desirable pieces, from the pixelated camouflage overcoat with military pockets to the workwear uniform of roomy pants and button shirt.
A large portion of the collection was unveiled on the runway alongside Snyder’s namesake collection during Pitti Uomo, where the American designer was a special guest.
